Another day with a plethora of possibilities. Most appealing, initially, was the January 9, 1861 firing on the Star of the West by cadets at the Citadel. The Star of the West was a federal ship sent to provide provisions to Fort Sumter. These shots are generally regarded as the first shots of the Civil War. I will have many opportunities to discuss Civil War matters, so I'll push on.

Also of note is the British withdrawal, on this date in 1916 from Gallipoli, which ended their tremendous misadventure and cost Churchill his position at the Admiralty. The 1945 invasion of Luzon, in the Phillipines, and 1951 opening of UN Headquarters in New York were also candidates.

But I doubt I'll have a chance to discuss one of the reasons the Middle Ages were the Dark Ages quite so vividly, so I won't pass it up.

On January 9, 1349, the entire Jewish population of Basel, Switzerland was burned alive on accusations of causing or spreading the black plague.

During Roman times, Jews could be citizens. But during the Middle Ages, they were generally considered foreign nationals (regardless of where/when they had been born etc.). As a result, their ability to remain in any given country was subject to the king's pleasure, and their rights were strictly limited. They were unable to give "Christian" oaths, for example, which completely foreclosed them from knighthood or any other participation in the entire feudal/manorial system. Therefore, property ownership was also out of the question.

As a result, only the artisan trades and money lending businesses were open to them. When the guild system developed, they usually lost their ability to serve as artisans.

This left moneylending. So most/all Jews were effectively forced to be bankers. And while they did well with the profession when allowed, invariably the bankers became unpopular from time to time (as we still see today), and their Jewishness and lack of citizenship usually resulted in persecutions, losing all property, and perhaps death.

As the events in Basel showed, they could and would be blamed for nearly anything wrong in the lives of their neighbors, and be required to pay the ultimate price.

Over time, this led to mass migrations to generally more tolerant Eastern Europe, including Russia. Eventually, large Jewish populations were concentrated in Poland and Russia. Eventually, these countries too had their own pogroms in the 18th and 19th centuries and, of course, the rise of the Nazis, in part based on centuries old anti-semitism, led to their wholesale slaughter during the Holocaust.

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"I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington

Some REALLY good choices here. In 1475 Stephen of Moldavia defeated the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Vaslui. Vastly outnumbered (reports were 120,000 Ottomans to 40,000 Moldavians plus some allies), the successful defense helped stem the "infidel" Muslim invasion of Europe.

In 1776 Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense, which inflames all Americans (not just the elite) towards revolution.

In 1870 John Rockefeller incorporated Standard Oil.

In 1941 Lend Lease is introduced to the US Congress.

But ultimate, the event of the day is one that is nearly 2,000 years old and still has references in modern day parlance and shaped most of the Western World for centuries to come. On this day in 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon river in Northern Italy, signaling the start of the Roman civil war that led to his seizure of power and the conversion of the Roman Republic to the Roman Empire.

The significance of the Rubicon River is that it signaled the border between Italy proper and Cisalpine Gaul. Gaul being more commonly known these days as France. Roman law prohibited Roman Legions from crossing the Rubicon and entering Italy proper, thus protecting, in theory, the Republic from being overthrown from power.

Having subdued Gaul which had been in active rebellion and having served terms a proconsul and otherwise achieving the heights of power in the Republic, the Senate sought to reduce him in stature and possibly marginalize his power. Unwilling to accept this, he crossed the Rubicon with a single legion, but in so doing, triggered civil war.

To this day, the phrase "crossing the Rubicon" is used to indicate an act of significance that, once taken, puts one on a path of no return.

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"I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington

I'm thoroughly unimpressed with today's options, so I will go with the 1755 birth of Alexander Hamilton.

One of the principal founding fathers, Hamilton's rise to Washington's right hand man and being the face on the $10 bill is one of the least likely imaginable, since he was born in utter poverty on the British West Indian island of Nevis.

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"I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington

I'm thoroughly unimpressed with today's options, so I will go with the 1755 birth of Alexander Hamilton.

One of the principal founding fathers, Hamilton's rise to Washington's right hand man and being the face on the $10 bill is one of the least likely imaginable, since he was born in utter poverty on the British West Indian island of Nevis.

I will give you an option for today.
Super Bowl IV
January 11, 1970 - Tulane Stadium

Kansas City Chiefs 23
Minnesota Vikings 7

Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one (after Super Bowl III) to officially bear the name "Super Bowl". This was the final AFL-NFL Championship Game before the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) merged into one combined league after the season.

The game was played on January 11, 1970, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. This was the first Super Bowl played without the standard week off after the conference championship games (league championship games at the time). Strangely enough, the AFL had a week off between its divisional playoffs (the NFL played its conference championship games during the AFL's off-week) and league championship game. The AFL started its 1969 season a week earlier than the NFL, and thus had an extra week to deal with during the post-season. This would be the last Super Bowl played without the week off until Super Bowl XVII.

The AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs (11-3) defeated the NFL champion Minnesota Vikings (12-2), 23–7. Even though the Vikings were 13-point favorites coming into the game, the Chiefs defense dominated the game by limiting the Minnesota offense to only 67 rushing yards, forcing 3 interceptions, and recovering 2 fumbles. The victory by the AFL evened the Super Bowl series with the NFL at two games apiece.

Kansas City's Len Dawson became the fourth consecutive winning quarterback to be named Super Bowl MVP. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, with 1 interception. Dawson also recorded 3 rushing attempts for 11 yards.

Interesting, less than 2 weeks into the year and we have already had both Andrew Jackson and his nemesis when it comes to monetary policy, Alexander Hamilton mentioned. That is a debate I would have loved to have been able to witness!

Interesting, less than 2 weeks into the year and we have already had both Andrew Jackson and his nemesis when it comes to monetary policy, Alexander Hamilton mentioned. That is a debate I would have loved to have been able to witness!

Yes, though obviously they were not contemporaries, I agree -- that would have been a great debate. Probably would've ended with a duel, however.

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"I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington

It's all good. I was just going by what the History Chanel had. Really, Porky Pig's grand arrival isn't that big of a deal. But, IMHO, wiki is pretty good but you still have to watch what is in it. I guess the same can be said of the History Chanel.

A boring day, historically speaking. Most interesting perhaps is that on this day in 1991 the US Congress authorizes the use of force to drive Iraq out of Kuwait.

Less cataclysmic but still interesting, the 1969 victory of the New York Jets on this date propels the American Football League to respectability and paves the way for the merger of the old NFL and the AFL to form the football league that we know today.

And the Jets have barely been heard from ever since.

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"I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington

3. 1942 -- German submarines begin attacking merchant vessels off the US Eastern Coast. Unprepared for the declaration of war and for forming into convoys, the German U-Boats initially have tremendous success. It was really only limited by the few submarines they could keep in position so far from their bases. This leads to blackouts on the Eastern seaboard to prevent the Germans from more easily ascertaining their position, and to convoying of American merchant vessels.

4. 1953 -- Tito becomes President of Yugoslavia.

As this post has gotten long, I'll put the event of the day into the next post.

EDIT: How odd. I cross-checked the date for what I was going to choose as the event of the day, and other sites are citing a different date. Ah well. The above is as good as it gets for today, apparently.

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"I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington